Based at Sea World in Orlando, 

 Fla., O'Dell jokingly calls his job a 

 "freebie." 



"The network is all-volunteer," 

 he says. "There's virtually no money 

 in it." 



Before the national and regional 

 networks evolved in 1977, stranding 

 volunteers often worked indepen- 

 dently along the coast, he says. 

 Today, they are more organized, 

 publishing a seasonal newsletter that 

 is funded by NMFS. 



But the network faces one ever- 

 present hurdle: lack of funding. 



To operate efficiently, stranding 

 networks need logistical equipment 

 such as machinery for hauling 

 mammals, foul-weather gear and 

 medical supplies. They also need 

 special field equipment for collect- 

 ing, analyzing and storing specimens 

 and data. Finally, they need places to 

 archive that data. 



"But nobody's putting up the 

 money. That's been a real stumbling 

 block," O'Dell says. The dearth of 

 government funding belies the 

 instrumental role the network plays 

 in supplying "ultrafresh" data in 

 times of crisis. In 1982, the network 

 was able to provide archived tissue 

 samples that helped identify 

 mobilivirus, a disease linked with a 

 mysterious dolphin die-off in 

 Florida, O'Dell says. 



"One of the important aspects of 

 the network is gathering long-term 

 historical data," he says. "We can 

 then identify a crisis when it 

 happens. Samples that we've 

 collected in the past are starting to 

 pay off." 



North Carolina is in a unique 

 position among other states in the 

 Southeast because some volunteers 

 are able to incorporate their MMSN 

 work with their "real" jobs, he says. 

 For example, part of Thayer's job 

 description at NMFS is coordinating 

 the state's network. Volunteers in 

 many other states don't have that 

 advantage. 



"That's very positive," O'Dell 

 says. "As the federal government 

 wants more and more information on 

 strandings, the only way to do it is to 



have dedicated people and the 

 resources." 



But North Carolina is not unique 

 in the challenges created by wide- 

 spread coastal development. As the 

 state's coastline becomes increasingly 

 populated, some people wonder what 

 price the dolphin population will pay. 



The same types 

 of human activities 

 that threaten other 



wildlife species 

 may have a similar 

 impact on dolphins. 

 As people 

 stream to the beaches, 



they bring more 

 deadly marine debris, 

 more noisy boat traffic 

 and more habitat-disturbing 

 tourist activities. 



O'Dell, Wood and others are 

 optimistic that more people on the 

 beach will mean more frequent and 

 timely stranding reports, which will 

 provide useful information about 

 dolphins. They also believe there will 

 be more organized research efforts. 



But there will be a downside. 



The same types of human 

 activities that threaten other wildlife 

 species may have a similar impact on 

 dolphins. As people stream to the 

 beaches, they bring more deadly 

 marine debris, more noisy boat traffic 

 and more habitat-disturbing tourist 

 activities. 



Boats pose a double hazard. 

 Not only can they injure dolphins 

 with the churning blades of their 

 propellers, they may interfere with 

 dolphin communication. Wood says. 



"They create atmospheric noise 

 that can lead to confusion," he says. 

 "A mother and her newborn calf may 

 not be able to communicate. It's like 

 trying to talk to someone and stand- 

 ing next to a freeway." 



Human contact is linked to about 

 half of all marine mammal deaths 

 that occur in North Carolina. Be- 

 tween Jan. 1 and March 8 of this 

 year, 26 marine mammal strandings 

 were documented, according to a 

 newsletter published by the South- 

 eastern Atlantic-Caribbean MMSN. 

 Eight of these strandings were 

 bottlenose dolphins with missing 

 fins, fresh net cuts and net entangle- 

 ments. One was stranded with fishing 

 gear attached, and one was shot. 



Network volunteers say the 

 public is slowly becoming more 

 aware of laws and issues involving 

 dolphins. Their hope is that the 

 number of human-related dolphin 

 deaths will drop as awareness 

 spreads. And because of recent media 

 exposure, the network itself is 

 becoming more visible in the state — 

 a trend the volunteers welcome. 



A stranding report is one wake- 

 up call volunteers do not mind 

 answering, no matter what the 

 weather. The sooner a stranded 

 dolphin is reported, the more likely 

 telling clues about dolphin life will 

 be found. □ 



COASTWATCH 9 



